


working out the kinks

by thunderylee



Category: Kanjani8 (Band), NewS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-12
Updated: 2010-09-12
Packaged: 2019-01-30 09:58:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12651282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Ryo thinks his roommate has a crush on his hunky personal trainer, but Shige hangs his heart at home.





	working out the kinks

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck. written for newsficcon 2010.

Shige stirred as a sharp breeze imposed on every inch of his skin that should have been under a warm, cozy blanket.

“Cold,” he mumbled.

A shadow blocked him from the hallway light, and Shige’s first coherent thought was that someone so small shouldn’t be able to loom so well.

“Don’t you have to work today?” his comforter taunted him, waving enticingly from where his roommate had seized it in his trademark form of motivation.

Ryo’s headset dangled carelessly from a mess of black hair, glazed-over eyes and five o’clock shadow coming into focus as Shige became very aware of the time. If Ryo’s shift was over, Shige should have been in the shower by now.

Except that he didn’t have to work today. “They made me take a vacation,” he managed to formulate as he weakly reached out for his covers. “Two days. Paid.”

Ryo wrinkled his nose, and if Shige was more coherent he would have narrowed his eyes at the implication that this news somehow inconvenienced _Ryo_. “Only you would make that sound like a bad thing.”

“I’m not awake,” Shige insisted, although he wasn’t quite sure why he was defending himself to someone who really didn’t care at an ungodly hour when the sun was barely breaking the horizon. “What will I do with myself for two whole days?”

“Mope,” Ryo suggested, tilting his head like he was thinking hard about it. “Wear those stupid striped pants every day. Get on my case more than usual.”

Shige hrmphed as he took advantage of Ryo’s facetiousness to snatch back his covers. “My striped pants are not stupid. They’re comfortable.”

Rolling his eyes, Ryo headed toward the door. “Since you’re up, you could go work out with _trainer-san_.”

The way he said it was taunting, and Shige glared through his heavy eyelids. “Will you shut up about that? I’m not attracted to Massu.”

“You lie!” Ryo accused with a laugh. “You always come home all flustered every time you meet with him. One of these days you’ll have to come to terms with your sexuality, Shige.”

“I’m _not gay_ ,” Shige emphasized for what felt like the millionth time in the ten years he’d known his roommate. “And even if I was, I wouldn’t be attracted to someone who doesn’t stop pushing me until I’m crying for mercy. Masochism is _your_ thing, isn’t it?”

“Touché,” Ryo said noncommittally, twirling the cord of his headset as he swung through the doorway. “Go work out. You’re getting fat.”

“Sell any juicers last night?” Shige yelled down the hallway after him.

“Fuck you!” was the cheerful response.

Thankfully, Ryo left him alone, probably glued to his laptop and trolling the Internet in his daily attempt to wind down after five hours of taking orders from late-night infomercial suckers. In a previous life, Ryo had actually been a professional chef – a pretty good one judging by his impressive résumé of fancy-pants restaurants – but his sarcastic attitude and lack of brain-to-mouth filter kept getting him fired over and over again. And with the economy the way it had been lately, he couldn’t find steady work that didn’t deal with the general public without a mute button.

Ryo wasn’t the only one suffering. Shige had a law degree, and for a while he had worked as a legal assistant at a prestigious firm downtown. The house in which they both currently lived had originally been his, the couch becoming Ryo’s when Ryo got evicted from his own place five years before. It was just recently that Shige had gotten laid off, taking on a bunch of temporary jobs to make ends meet until he sucked it up and went blue collar.

Managing a Subway wasn’t such a bad gig, really. It was a decent salary, benefits, a daily allowance of one foot-long sub, and early-morning hours now that they offered breakfast. Even if his employees didn’t listen to him and he often came home with olives in his hair, which Ryo helpfully pointed out before serving them whatever simple meal he’d thrown together ten minutes before Shige was due back.

Shige would think that living with a chef would mean a more elaborate menu, but as Ryo constantly reminded him, they were equals now and Shige was lucky that Ryo fed him at all. It was probably only because Shige would live off of subs otherwise, having no energy left at the end of the day to cook. It was Ryo’s backwards style of affection that Shige had come to expect in the very long time they’d known each other.

As he lay in bed, cursing the clock that was displaying such an early hour when he didn’t have anything to wake up for, Shige couldn’t even remember how they had initially met. They didn’t grow up in the same city, but Shige had memories dating back to middle school – a friend of a friend, maybe. He was losing his memory in his old age, never mind that he was only twenty-eight and Ryo would kick his ass for even thinking that he was getting old because _he_ was pushing thirty and acting like he wasn’t affected by it.

It was depressing to think that they were getting older and no steps closer to starting their respective families. Ryo liked to blame that on the state of the world too, and Shige let him. It was much more preferable than the alternative.

Shige rolled out of bed and tossed on a tank top and his favorite striped pants, foregoing a shower or even brushing his hair because it was the buttcrack of dawn and nobody would be on the street to care. Since he was awake, he figured he might as well go work out, even if the prospect of spending his morning off doing strenuous exercises should have been the absolute last thing on his list of things to do.

He knew he would barely be out the door before Ryo snuck into his bed, though. Shige pretended not to notice, but it was really obvious when his bed was neatly made and his sheets smelled like Ryo’s shampoo. Shige honestly didn’t mind; he could tell that Ryo’s back had been bothering him lately, even though Ryo wouldn’t admit when he was in pain. Sharing his bed was the least he could do, especially since they slept at different times.

Maybe working out would help him further ignore the truth that he wouldn’t mind being there with him, either.

++

Masuda Takahisa was the worst nutritionist in Japan. Shige had gained at least ten pounds since starting this regimen, and he didn’t stick anywhere close to the ‘diet’ he had been given in his initial consultation. He couldn’t eat seven times a day even if he did nothing else, and he considered himself pretty lazy.

“Call me Massu!” was the first thing the muscled man had said to him, his intimidating demeanor completely thwarted by the blinding grin on his friendly face. At that moment, Shige firmly believed that this guy could pick him up and defenestrate him effortlessly, but also that he definitely wouldn’t.

Before he lost his old job, Shige had won a random name-drawing for a one-year gym membership complete with his own personal trainer. It seemed like a good idea at the time, particularly with Shige’s stress levels and various unhealthy habits. Besides, it was _free_ , and he couldn’t deny that even after six months, he was more toned with higher spirits. His pride wouldn’t let him quit halfway, anyway, and it wasn’t like he had anything better to do with his time.

Which was why he tortured himself three times a week with Massu and the weights of doom. He had nightmares where his feet were stuck in quicksand and Massu continuously cheered in his ear like a broken record. _Do your best, just a little more, you can do it!_ Shige thought that was an adequate subconscious representation of the way his arms and legs felt like jelly when their session was over, leaving him astounded as to how he actually made his way to the showers and eventually back home.

Just like he expected, Ryo was passed out in his bed, dead to the world and Shige’s softening stare as he considered his options. He could really use a nap. Ryo wasn’t even using any of his pillow, curled up at the very edge of the mattress and looking even smaller as he used the bare minimum of covers. He wouldn’t know if a group of people crawled into bed with him, let alone Shige who slept so still that Ryo had once thought he’d stopped breathing. (That had been awkward to wake up to.)

Shige was tired enough not to care, pulling his shirt over his head and carefully slipping between the sheets on the opposite side from Ryo without any more thought. There was a good meter between them, but Ryo might as well have been lying on top of Shige with how strongly he sensed him. This was a bad idea, obviously, but it was too late and Shige couldn’t exactly claim to be bothered by the way his nerves stood on end for every soft exhale or shift in movement until he succumbed to his exhaustion.

Now Ryo was the star of his nightmare, his encouragement more patronizing even with his wrists tied to the headboard. It took a lot for Shige to gather the courage to lean down and kiss him, let alone touch him, controlling the flow completely on his own with a determination that rivaled his bench sets.

It was almost disappointing when he woke up a few hours later to an empty bed, but it spared him the embarrassment of being caught with an erection that couldn’t exactly be attributed to morning wood.

++

Shige wasn’t quite sure when he had first fallen in love with Ryo, only that it wasn’t something that happened just once. Shige fell in love with Ryo a couple times a month, whenever he did little things for Shige that were disguised as selfish or benefitting Ryo somehow. Waking him up every morning meant that Shige would keep his job, feeding him meant that he would eat well, and mocking him at every opportunity molded him into a tough adult who could stand proud even when he failed.

Ryo had a lot to do with the kind of person he was now, Shige realized. It didn’t matter what kind of job he had as long as he had one. Ryo didn’t expect Shige to do anything for him that he couldn’t do himself. They complemented each other, in a strange having-someone-to-argue-with way. Arguing was something to break the monotony of everyday life.

A snort greeted Shige as he stumbled into the main room, and Ryo didn’t look up from where he was undoubtedly showing up anonymous know-it-alls online. Shige hovered in front of the refrigerator for a few moments but nothing jumped out at him; in fact, _he_ was the one to jump when the door was suddenly pushed shut right underneath his arm.

“Don’t waste electricity,” Ryo bitched, but there was no malice in his tone. “The cold air isn’t going to fix it anyway.”

Shige’s blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?” he tried to ask in a calm voice, trying not to sneak a look down at what he _knew_ he had willed away before getting out of bed.

He might as well have pulled open his waistband to see for himself with the way Ryo was glaring at him knowingly. “I know it’s your bed and all, but it would be really great if you didn’t fantasize about your beefcake boyfriend while I’m sleeping next to you.”

“I…” Shige gulped, feeling his face heat up and not even bothering to lie. “I told you, it’s not him.”

Ryo laughed out loud, entirely too close and Shige couldn’t stop the visible shiver. “Shige,” Ryo said gently. “I’m getting secondhand embarrassment from how worked up you are. Go jerk off or something. I’ll start dinner.”

Now Shige’s blood was boiling, a mixture of being pissed off and aroused that made complete sense because it was all due to _Ryo_. He felt like he was in a dream – possibly his nightmare – as he grabbed Ryo by the arm, shoved him against the closed refrigerator, and got into his face.

“ _It’s not him_ ,” Shige hissed angrily, staring Ryo hard in the eyes.

“Oh, really?” Ryo shot back sarcastically, appearing completely unnerved by the situation. “So the fact that you were moaning in your sleep and humping the mattress _next to me_ after ‘working out’ was completely coincidental?”

The air quotes just fueled Shige’s rage. “You are so fucking dense,” he snapped.

“ _Me_?” Ryo repeated indignantly, standing a little straighter. “I’m not the one who’s in complete denial about his big gay crush here. Do you want him to bench press you on the mat, Shige? Counting off reps in your ear as he fucks you from behind? Do you imagine him hot and sweaty underneath you, muscles rippling as you-”

What Shige would be doing to Massu, Ryo didn’t get a chance to say, his voice singeing out against Shige’s lips as Shige grabbed him by the shoulders and crushed their mouths together. Ryo made an affronted noise but didn’t pull away, fists clenching in Shige’s shirt and pulling him closer like it was his retaliation.

Shige should have guessed that they would be competitive even like this. Ryo’s kiss was like fire, burning hot and spreading throughout his body as Shige pinned him to the refrigerator and lost his breath in Ryo’s mouth. Ryo moved his lips first, but Shige was right behind him, keeping up with the mind-blowing pace without really trying. It was natural, just like any other argument they’d had.

Shige was the one to flick his tongue first and he took pride in the way Ryo was caught off-guard, but true to his character, Ryo quickly caught up and slid his tongue along Shige’s so intently that there was no doubt in Shige’s mind that Ryo wanted this too, whatever it was, and that was enough for Shige’s brain to turn off and melt into Ryo’s mouth with the rest of him.

Except that all too soon it was gone, the lack of contact from all angles equivalent to a bucket of ice-cold water being dropped on him. He reluctantly opened his eyes as he rushed to catch his breath, seeing Ryo just as breathless in front of him with an indescribable expression.

“It’s you,” Shige heaved, balancing himself with a hand firmly on Ryo’s shoulder because it wouldn’t do to fall while confessing. “It’s always been you.”

Ryo blinked, then licked his lips. “You want to fuck me?”

“No, not just…” Shige started, pausing as he got ahead of himself. “I mean, I _do_ , obviously, but I also like… _like_ you.”

Ryo raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry,” Shige rambled, dropping his gaze to the floor because the shiny linoleum and their feet were much less humiliating to look at. “I should have told you sooner, but… I don’t know, I didn’t want to admit it. Or something. This is awkward, I’m sorry, but it’s you who… I love.”

The shadows on the floor shifted and Shige jumped again when Ryo’s breath was on his ear. “We should definitely talk about that later,” he whispered, “but for now I was actually asking if you wanted to fuck me.”

Shige thought he would fall apart from his resulting shiver at those words, and he made the mistake of looking up into Ryo’s eyes that nearly burned with lust. Like magnets, they came together again, not bothering with any kind of verbal answers because their body language spoke for itself.

He had no idea how they made it down the hallway, bumping into anything and everything on their way. Shige felt bruises forming as they fell through his door and consequently onto his bed, Ryo’s body hard underneath him as he kissed him like the world was going to end. Ryo gave it back just as strongly with the added urgency of fingers twisting in his shirt, tugging on it pointedly, and Shige didn’t think twice before yanking it off and reaching for Ryo’s.

Shige’s leg fell naturally between Ryo’s, his thigh rubbing at Ryo’s hardening groin, and he was surprised at how low and soft Ryo’s moan was. For as loud as he was, Shige expected him to be the same in bed, but he was completely still and quiet. It turned Shige on even more, igniting a dominant flame that he hadn’t known he had until Ryo was lying beneath him, waiting to be taken.

It wasn’t without impatience, though, and Shige smiled with familiarity as Ryo glared at him and barked, “Are you just going to grind against me? I’m too old to come in my pants.”

“Shut up,” Shige growled, nipping at Ryo’s bottom lip with his teeth and riding the wave as Ryo’s body jerked uncontrollably at the action. “Don’t make me restrain you.”

Now Ryo was the one who shivered, and Shige had to give him credit for not trying to hide it. “That just makes me want to talk back more, you know,” Ryo informed him.

Both wrists fit in Shige’s hand, Ryo’s torso rolling again as he brought them up over his head. “This is what I dreamed about earlier,” Shige whispered against his lips, stealing kisses between words as his body rocked with Ryo’s. “While I was humping the mattress and wishing it was you.”

“That’s great; now you should shut up and make it a reality.”

Ryo’s voice sounded anxious and fueled Shige’s desire, his free hand reaching between them to take off their pants. He managed to push his own down but Ryo’s were impossible, and after a couple trial and errors Ryo huffed in frustration and effortlessly broke free of Shige’s hold to do it himself.

“You can’t even-” he started to complain, but Shige cut him off and Ryo’s tongue was even fiercer when he was interrupted.

It wasn’t his first time with a man – for either of them, he was certain – but it had been a while and even though he didn’t think anything had changed since then, he was still nervous. He had a tube of lube stashed away for when he had the urge, reaching for it as he braced himself for Ryo’s mocking that never came. Instead he felt lips sucking gently on his neck and a body coiling around his as Ryo lifted his legs and arms to make sure that Shige would return after retrieving the necessary items.

Like he would have gone anywhere else. He pried Ryo’s hands off of his shoulders and held them above his head once more, utilizing Ryo’s stomach to transfer the lube to his fingers. Ryo didn’t appear to mind, staring up at him with dark eyes as Shige reluctantly pulled away from his mouth to concentrate on what he was doing. His arousal increased when Ryo helpfully lifted his legs, exposing himself shamelessly while his body trembled at the unnatural feeling of air making contact with something that seemed entirely too small for Shige to put _anything_ in.

Still, his fingers were drawn to it, tracing the rim with the pad of his fingertips and watching it contract from the cool touch. Ryo shifted but made no noise, but a quick look to his face showed him biting his lip with uneven breathing, and making him let go became Shige’s new goal. He circled the hole enough to be teasing, watching Ryo silently glare at him, and this time he tightened his grip on Ryo’s wrists before he could escape again.

Ryo moaned and it was like music.

Shige fingered him slowly, listening to Ryo’s body as it protested his touch. Just a little gentle stretching and he relaxed, permitting a second finger that went through the same process. Shige’s eyes were locked on Ryo’s face and how he seemed to be holding back his reactions, making Shige even more determined to crack him, which showed in his actions.

He curled his fingers and Ryo jolted, a low noise dying in his throat as Shige kept rubbing against the spot inside him that elicited such a reaction. It was easy to slip in a third finger and Shige’s own body was starting to feel the intensity, desperate to be inside him and becoming one with him, his Ryo whom he has grown to love despite their argumentative friendship.

“Fuck me, Shige,” Ryo breathed, and Shige didn’t waste another second rolling on a condom and coating himself with lube.

They both groaned as Shige pushed inside, a mixture of pressure and relief coursing through him as he managed to pause for a few seconds, giving Ryo some time to adjust before moving the way his body wanted to. He loosened his hold on Ryo’s wrists, letting go entirely as his hand drifted down Ryo’s arm and into his hair, craving more of an intimate touch with such a raw act.

Ryo didn’t appear to be bothered, his arms stretching above his head and grabbing onto the sheets to twist as Shige took him. Over and over Shige slowly pulled back and sharply thrust in, his tension building and his coherence dwindling as he lost himself to the feeling. Ryo’s body rocked with his and Shige could hear the moans drowning behind his closed mouth, begging to be set free.

“Ryo,” Shige groaned. He had intended to follow that with something sexy, but his brain wouldn’t cooperate. Lifting his head had him moving at a new angle, which had Ryo tossing his own head back, piercing the air with a cry and rolling his hips in tandem like he was desperately seeking out more depth.

“If you don’t get me off, I will do it myself,” was Ryo’s response, poisonous as always, but somehow it was comforting to Shige this time.

“Do it, then,” he shot back, because he was just as bad after Ryo’s influence.

Ryo grumbled through his next moan, his hand half-punching Shige in the chest as he shoved it between them to wrap around his length. He immediately tightened around Shige, pulling a sharp noise from Shige’s lungs as he fisted himself with no restraint.

“Ryo,” Shige gasped again, struggling to push through the muscles that were clamping down around him and bringing him to the edge sooner than he would have liked. “Fuck, I’m going… I’m going to come.”

Ryo responded with a beautiful wail as something warm squirted onto Shige’s belly and his body forced Shige’s orgasm out of him, both of them twitching and panting as Shige’s world went blank and everything was calm.

Ryo’s breathing was the first thing he noticed upon coming down, staggered and heavy as Shige rushed to roll off of him so that he could stretch his legs. Shige snapped off the condom and tossed it into the wastebasket next to his bed, flopping onto his back and staring at his ceiling as he wondered what happened now.

A long sigh sounded from next to him, and Ryo’s voice sounded pained as he said, “So you love me, or something?”

“Or something,” Shige replied, still breathless. “It’s just… feels right to be with you.”

He looked over in time to see Ryo nod in understanding. “I’m really glad you’re not gay for trainer-san,” was all he said.

Shige burst out laughing, shaking the bed with the force of his laughter. “You were totally jealous.”

“Maybe I was,” Ryo replied with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re mine now.”

“Oh, really-” Shige began, losing his train of thought when Ryo pounced on him and fused their mouths together.

“You’re not the only one who knows how to shut people up,” Ryo whispered against his lips. “What are you making for dinner?”

“What makes you think _I’m_ cooking?” Shige asked with a smirk.

Ryo grinned. “You top, you cook. I want pasta.”

He hopped off and wandered out of the room while Shige was still gathering his energy to move. It’s a good thing he was off again tomorrow, because he fully planned on earning a chef-quality breakfast in bed.

++

It wasn’t that different officially dating Ryo, except for the obvious part. They still argued and mocked each other endlessly, even if it usually ended up with someone being pushed up against (or down on) a hard surface and devoured like a particularly delicious meal.

They might have been going through some tough times in life, but being together made it much better. Although when Shige stopped to think about it, it had always been that way.

“You know Osaka?” Ryo asked casually one night during dinner – his own cooking.

“Like the whole prefecture?” Shige replied facetiously. “Not every square meter of it, but I know some.”

Ryo kicked him under the table. “I know you have a deep attachment to the Ikebukuro Subway, but I’ve been offered a job in Osaka.”

“Like a real job?” Shige exclaimed, not bothering to hide his shock.

“A real job being a real chef with a hat and everything.” Ryo paused. “You can come with me, if you want. There’s a Subway in Namba.”

Shige didn’t bother to hide his smile either. “I can work somewhere else, you know.”

“That may be a good idea,” Ryo said, feigning thought. “It might make the restaurant look bad if my boyfriend sells crappy sandwiches.”

Rolling his eyes, Shige returned to his homemade pudding while mentally making preparations to move. “What kind of restaurant is it?”

“Uchi’s,” Ryo answered bluntly, and Shige choked. “He’s been wanting me to come work with him for a long time, but I kept thinking I could get something better.”

“Well,” Shige said slowly, squashing down unpleasant memories of how good-looking Ryo’s longtime friend was. “At least he won’t fire you for being an asshole.”

“That is true,” Ryo replied fondly, turning his attention to Shige. “And _you_ get to be jealous for once.”

Shige was looking forward to it.


End file.
